SPARTA, Ky. — Denny Hamlin, who missed four races earlier this year with a compression fracture in his lower back, complained of headaches after a hard wreck Sunday at Kentucky Speedway.

His car blew a tire and he hit the wall on Lap 148 of the Quaker State 400. Hamlin was able to drive the car back to the garage but was then tended to by medical personnel and taken to the infield care center for 20 minutes.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver walked out of the care center under his own power and stood while answering questions.

“I’ll be fine,” Hamlin said. “I feel a lot better now. … Anytime you hit flat up against the wall, you deal with issues and headaches and stuff like that.

Hamlin compared the hit one he had last year at Kansas Speedway when he crashed in a test session, went to the care center and then returned to the care center about an hour later before being cleared to resume track activity.

“I had to take a moment when I got out of my car to gather my thoughts,” Hamlin said. “I didn’t feel all that great.

“The medical staff came, checked me out and we decided to come (to the medical center).”

He said he did not reinjure his back, which is a major concern considering the compression fracture he suffered in a crash at California in March.

“My back feels good,” Hamlin said. “Really good. It felt the same as it did this morning. That was the least of the concern.”

Hamlin, who finished 35th, maintained 25th in the standings but fell further behind in his quest to make the top 10 and put himself in position for a possible Chase wild card. He must crack the top 10 and win at least one race to have any shot at making the Chase.

“I felt pretty good about the way we were running today,” Hamlin said. “With the right track position, we could run with just about anybody except for maybe the 48 (of Jimmie Johnson).

“We’re just going to try to win races. That’s my job for the rest of the year.”

Team owner Joe Gibbs said Hamlin complained enough after he got out of the car that he needed to be checked out at the infield care center. Hamlin was checked by doctors again Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he was scheduled to test, and cleared to participate in Monday's practice session.

Gibbs said there are no plans for Hamlin to step out of the car to rest even though his postseason hopes are slim after the 35th-place finish.

“Denny wants to stay after it and we have a chance to get some wins for FedEx,” Gibbs said. “And who knows what's going to happen? We could get hot. I know he'll be the favorite at several of these racetracks we have down the stretch over these next nine weeks. Who knows, maybe a miracle is in there?

“And you can't have a great comeback unless you're behind, so we'll just go after it and do the best we can. I think Denny feels that way, too. He was fired up for today. I felt like he was going to get after it today. So he's got a good attitude and we'll keep swinging.”